I rely on Five Roses cookbook's Prize Pizza recipe to make homemade pizza. I don't always do the risings listed in the recipe because when I'm hungry, I allow about 20min to make the dough and I cut or prepare toppings while the liquids are sitting in the bowls cooling. Or grate the mozzarella cheese if I don't have bagged shredded cheese.
I've put my own variations in brackets to expedite your pizza making adventures!
Prize Pizza. Yield: Three 9" pizzas (I make a large one about 16-18")
1 pkg active dry yeast (1 Tbsp jar yeast-Fleischmanns' Traditional but I've used the bread one too)
1/4 cup lukewarm warm (use tepid tap water)
1 Tbsp sugar
1tsp. salt (sea salt can be fun)
1 Tbsp shortening (I use olive or sunflower oil to keep the dough suitable for fasting on non-meat days)
1 cup boiling water (use hot tap water unless you have a tea kettle of boiled water ready now)
2 3/4 cups Five Roses all-purpose flour
3 tsp olive or vegetable oil
grated Parmesan cheese (I don't use this)
12. oz Mozzarella cheese (shred some from a bar
or use whatever shredded cheese you have-4 cheese blend or Tex-Mex blend work!)
1 (28. oz) can tomatoes, drained (I use a small tin of Primo pizza sauce-traditional or garlic/basil; the sugar removes the bitterness of the tomato sauce; I find Unico pizza sauce too sour.)
anchovies, pepperoni, chopped parsley (use your own *toppings: Hawaiian, pepperoni/olives/peppers, beans and sliced cooked hotdogs (it was a cheap pizza dinner),red peppers and pickled artichoke hearts on no cheese pizza but with pizza sauce-check your pantry)
Toppings
The following ingredients are all sliced or chopped according to preference.
1. Green peppers and mushrooms--sprinkle with salt & pepper.
2. Ripe black olives, onions and green pepper.
3. Green peppers, pepperoni and onion rings.
4. Stuffed green olives, mushrooms and parsley.
5. Anchovies, ripe black olives and parsley.
6. Slightly cooked bacon and ripe black olives--sprinkle with salt.
Soften yeast in lukewarm water for 10 minutes (use a soup or dessert bowl). Place sugar, salt, shortening (or oil) and boiling (hot) water in a large bowl; stir until sugar dissolves. Cool to lukewarm; add yeast (mixture from the small bowl).
Add 1-1/2 cups Five Roses Flour and beat until smooth. Add remaining flour (I add about 1/2 cup at time and stir or start kneading it into the dough) or enough to make a dough just barely firm enough to handle; knead until smooth on lightly floured board (I knead in the bowl-it's a wide glass bowl or use a wide melamine mixing bowl with the rubber ring to keep bowl from slipping). Divide in thirds; knead each piece into a smooth ball (I keep the dough as one ball). Flatten (I do this on an oiled large pizza pan), then roll with rolling pin until big enough to fit a lightly greased (oiled) 9" pie plate or pizza pan (or a large round pizza pan -not perforated, as then the oven gets messy) or try using a rimmed cookie sheet-use what you have). Press up around edges to make a slight rim. Let rise 15 minutes; brush lightly with oil.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese. Cover with * (your toppings) slivers of Mozzarella cheese and pieces of drained canned tomatoes. Top with chopped anchovies, sliced pepperoni and chopped parsley, or one of the following (see above) variations or a combination of them.
Bake in a moderate hot oven (425F) 20 to 25 minutes.
;)
For the record-I have not tried putting chopped parsley on pizza but did use some other herbs just for fun. Pantry surprise works for pizza toppings! Leftovers help.
